UN observes first International Day of Charity

The United Nations on Thursday observed the first International Day of Charity which coincides with the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa.

In his message for the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says charity plays an important role in upholding the values and advancing the work of the United Nations.

He calls "on people everywhere, of all ages, to act on the charitable impulse that resides in every human being."

Hugh Evans, CEO of the Global Poverty Project participated in a panel for the observance of the first International Day of Charity.

"There is a huge role that civil society and charities, non-profits can play in ultimately coordinating grassroots action on the ground and also education and advocacy on behalf of some of the most important political and social issues of our generation. And so when you look across the spectrum you see the power of grassroots action at work with some of the big organizations like CARE, UNICEF, World Vision, OXFAM. They are doing tremendous work." (25")

Hugh Evans says there are also organizations in the public advocacy sphere, like the Global Poverty Project, which are campaigning and encouraging world leaders and businesses to adopt policies that can benefit the world's poor.